A Bad Dream
by Jdurst99
Summary: Aria discovers that Ezra is A. How will she react? How will she ever get over this?
1. Chapter 1

**So, I don't really know why I am writing this story… I just kind of wanted to see how it would turn out, so I hope you enjoy. **

**Aria's POV**

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I didn't see how it was possible.

I didn't know how this happened.

I want to know why.

Why Ezra – _my _Ezra would do this.

* * *

Just last night I went over to Ezra's apartment to talk about our kiss we shared at The Brew. I wanted to mend things, I wanted Ezra back. Jake was just a rebound that I really didn't care for. I knew that the time we shared at The Brew meant something. I never stopped loving Ezra.

I needed to talk to him. I drove to his apartment building and I stopped in front of his door.

_3B_

I looked at the number for a while. I hadn't been here since Ezra told me about Malcolm which actually wasn't that long ago. It just seemed like I hadn't been here in forever. I reached for the key that was under the doormat knowing once I was inside I would see the desk of cluttered papers, the old typewriter in the corner, his most likely unmade bed, and the refrigerator that probably did not have food in it.

I got so lost in thought that I didn't even pay attention to the voices coming from the other side of the door. I heard a woman's voice first, then Ezra's. The two voices went back and forth at each other, each getting louder every time they spoke. It was definitely an argument.

At first, I couldn't recognize the woman's voice, but as it kept rising it became very distinctive.

_Cece Drake._

"They know! They know about Alison, Ezra!"

"I thought having two Redcoats would work! Do you think I planned having Alison lead them to the lair? Do you think I wanted her to reveal herself to the girls? I didn't plan those things Cece!"

"If you were smarter, you would have gotten her when she showed herself to the girls! She wouldn't have run away! She knows you're after her Ezra."

I didn't comprehend anything that was going on. I didn't want to believe what they were talking about.

"Oh, and nice job by the way. Getting your hand cut like that."

"I covered it up. The girls won't be able to tell what happened unless Spencer sees my hand. I'm guessing after knocking her out, she might have a fuzzy memory anyway. Oh and you could have been hurt a lot worse when Aria dropped you, so I don't think you can talk to me about something like this."

"I'm leaving." Cece snapped.

I didn't know what to do then. Before I could figure out what to do, Cece opened the door.

"Aria?" She gasped.

When she said my name, Ezra came rushing to the door frame.

"Aria, I –"

I ran before he got the chance to finish. He yelled my name, but I didn't listen. I ran down his hall while he chased after me. Once I got outside though, he gave up. I jumped in my car and tried to start my car as fast as I could. I turned the key four times and yet the engine didn't make a sound.

"Of course! Of course this is happening right now!" I screamed to myself. The engine finally started after two more turns of my key. I drove as fast as I could back home. My vision was so blurred from my tears that I almost drove off the road.

I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. It didn't believe it was real. I knew that I was going to wake up any minute. I would be with Ezra and he would reassure me that I was just having a nightmare. I would be safe in his arms, but I never woke up. It wasn't just some nightmare that would eventually go away. It was real.

This man, the love of my life, was the same person who had tortured me my friends for years. He hired other people to torture us. Spencer was even working for him! Of course, she didn't know who she was working for, but the idea of my boyfriend hiring my best friend to torture us was insane.

When I got home, I went straight to my room and slammed the door. I cried into my pillow until it was soaking wet. Minutes later, my dad walked into the room.

"Aria? What happened? Are you okay?" I looked into my dad's eyes and I knew I had to think of something quick.

"I know that you don't want me to see him, but I was with Ezra and he – he broke up with me. You're probably happy right? I know you hated him since we told you we were dating."

"Aria, I know that you know I didn't like the idea of you two dating, but I am in no way happy that he broke up with you. I would be angry with anyone that breaks your heart no matter who it is."

It looked like he meant it. And I wasn't necessarily lying either. There was no way that I was going back to Ezra considering what had happened. I felt a lot better talking with my dad, but my tears weren't done with me.

My dad let me by myself in my room for a while, and he brought dinner up to me in my room. I grabbed my phone from my purse and saw that I had missed four calls. One was from Hanna, and three from Ezra.

I listened to most of the messages. Hanna was just asking for the English homework. _English._ Of course she needed the English homework.

I didn't even really listen to Ezra's.

_Aria, I need to talk to – _Delete.

_Don't know if you got my message, I – _Delete.

_Just… just let me ex – _Delete.

I didn't want to hear what he had to say. It wasn't worth my time. To think that all these years, it was him. It didn't seem right. I still had the tiniest shred of hope that this was all just a horrible dream.

But unfortunately, I was definitely awake and this was absolutely real.

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**So, tell me what you thought of it. Did you like it? Did you not? Review and tell me how I could do better! I really hoped you enjoyed reading :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ezra's POV**

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Three days ago, I had my argument with Cece Drake. I tried to explain myself, but Aria wouldn't listen. I had to think of some way to talk to Aria, to tell her what I had to say.

I didn't know what I was doing, but I did it anyway. I walked up the steps to her house and hesitated before knocking on the door. Of course, Byron answered. He despises me but its okay, the feeling is mutual.

"You shouldn't be here Ezra. Not after what you did to my daughter," Byron quickly snapped.

_Aria told him? She couldn't have, she'd have a lot to explain. _I thought to myself.

"Mr. Montgomery, I–"

"Ezra. You have done enough to my family already; I think it'd be best if you just left."

"I need to talk to Aria." I was getting very impatient.

"I don't believe you have anything that important to say to her." Byron was about to shut the door when he hesitated and opened it fully again. "You broke her heart Ezra." With that, he shut the door and left me standing on the Montgomery's porch.

I was about to leave when I looked up to the window that belonged to Aria's room. As I did so, I saw the curtains move and cover the entire window. Aria knew I was there.

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**Aria's POV**

I couldn't believe he had come here. It was a dumb move. After what he did to me, I never wanted to see his face again.

Half the time I stood by the stairs and tried to catch what my dad had said to Ezra, but I only heard a few words. The other half, I was looking out my window staring at them.

I heard my dad coming up the stairs, so I sat on my bed and pretended to write in my journal. The door opened slowly and he poked his head in.

"Hey Aria, I don't know if you heard, but Ezra was just here."

"Oh, he was? What did he want?" I asked nonchalantly, pretending like I didn't know.

"He uh, he wanted to talk to you actually."

"Oh well that's too bad isn't it?" I said getting angry.

"It sounded like he really wanted to talk to you."

"Well I don't want to talk to him." I could feel my eyes getting watery and my vision was getting blurry.

"Aria, I know that he broke up with you, but I also knew that he made you really happy. I think you should try to talk to him."

"Thanks, but that's never going to happen."

"Okay well, if you ever change your mind…" My dad left the room and I was left alone in my room again.

Once the door was shut I started crying my eyes out. To think Ezra had the nerve to come to my house and try to talk to me was insane. He knew what he had done to me, and if he expected me to just let him in, well he was just being himself – a dumb, stupid liar that couldn't be trusted.

The worst part was that I thought he loved me. I told him my secrets, I stayed with him when I had nowhere else to go, and I fought so hard for a relationship that wasn't even real.

How stupid was I to fall for it all.

_It wasn't your fault. How were you supposed to know he did all those things? _I thought to myself. It wasn't that reassuring.

Tomorrow was Tuesday. I would have to go back to school from our three day weekend. I would have to sit in Mr. Fitz's class for over an hour and listen to him teach my class. I would have to pretend that I know nothing when I know his biggest secret.

I didn't think to tell my friends about this though they had a right to know. I felt that I needed to wait just a little longer before telling them. I went to bed that night knowing what I'd have to face the next day.

* * *

I dreamt of Ezra. It was just him, he was everywhere and there was nothing else around me. I tuned left and right and he was always there. I couldn't escape it. I tried running, but I didn't move. I was trapped in a horrible world that I didn't want to be a part of.

* * *

I jolted awake with beads of sweat on my forehead. My clock on my nightstand said 5:38. My alarm would go off in 7 minutes so I turned it off and got up early. I quickly showered and got dressed. My breakfast didn't consist of much. I had a banana and soy milk which I ate in a matter of seconds.

I woke up Mike and he got dressed in some sweats and said he would eat something at school. We left before my dad even woke up.

I pulled into a parking spot at Rosewood High and Mike jumped out immediately, jogging toward Noel Kahn. I got out and I first spotted Hanna who was sitting with Spencer. I searched for Emily, and I spotted her in a corner sitting with Paige. I decided against sitting with my friends and walked alone until the bell rang.

My first class was English.

I sat in his classroom, not hearing a single word. My mind was elsewhere. He kept talking and as he was doing so, I stared out the window. The bell ringing is what finally got me out of my daze. I started to pack up my bag and catch up with my friends.

"Miss Montgomery. Could I talk you about your paper?" Ezra said from his desk. Hanna looked over and raised her eyebrows in a smirk. I shook my head signaling that this wasn't going to be a sweet boyfriend-girlfriend conversation. She looked confused and then walked out the door with Spencer and Emily.

"What do you need Mr. Fitz?" I said sternly.

"Have you told them?"

"No, I haven't told anybody. I don't want to talk to you right now. Do you realize what you did to me? To my friends? You ruined our lives." I started toward the door and right as I opened it Ezra whispered something that caught me off guard.

"My love for you was real Aria." I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

_Don't let him back in._ "I don't care Ezra. It's over." I left the classroom without another word.

That night I sat on my bed after dinner doing homework. I kept glancing at my phone and I knew I had to call. Finally, I decided that I had to do it.

I called all the girls and took a deep breath as my phone kept ringing. They all picked up.

"Guys, I need to tell you something."

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**So, I hoped you guys liked this chapter. Please review and tell me how I can improve or tell me something you want to happen. I want to know how I can make my story better. Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**NOTE: So, I kind of have an idea of where I'm going with this, but it's not for sure. We'll see how this turns out. Enjoy!**

**Aria's POV**

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_I didn't know why I was there, but I was. I was sitting on his couch while he kissed the top of my head, then he kissed my cheek, before I knew what was going on, he was kissing my lips. It felt like it would never stop, we never once came up for air and he was kissing so fiercely. I shouldn't have been doing this, but I didn't even try to stop him. I tried pushing him away, but he didn't budge; he just kept going and I had no control of it. Finally, for three seconds, he lifted his face away from mine._

"_Ezra, I – I can't. I shouldn't be here."_

"_You're the one that came to my apartment, it's not like I dragged you here."_

"_It wouldn't surprise me considering who you are." I turned away for one second and when I looked back at Ezra, he was towering over me dressed in black hoodie. He lunged for me and I rolled over and fell off his couch._

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I awoke to the hard ground cold against my face. I got the wind knocked out of me and there was a sudden pain in my back and chest. I had that dream three nights in a row after telling the other girls that Ezra was A; they all ended the same way too, hard ground against my body. The girls didn't believe me at first. I remember all of their responses.

"_He loves you, he wouldn't do that." _Hanna said immediately.

"_It – it could like what Toby did for me, Aria." _I knew that Spencer was completely wrong.

"_Do you have any proof that it really is him?"_ I didn't need any, he told me to my face. Emily is always worrying.

I don't know why I kept having this dream. It's not like I wanted to get back with Ezra; that was for sure. I thought about how my life would be if I didn't know that he was A. I thought about how dumb and naïve I was. Every day I had Ezra's class it was always the same; he would stare at me most of the class period and try to talk to me when class was over. I never listened to him; I would just walk out and catch up with my friends who were always waiting outside the classroom door.

My friends believe me now. Spencer noticed the cut on his hand, and that was all the other girls really needed for proof. Other than that, Hanna had told us about the diary she stole and she let me read it. It was Ali's and all she really wrote about was Boardshorts and the description fit Ezra perfectly.

The girls came to my house the day after I told them what happened. They just sat and comforted me while I cried my eyes out. They understood what I was going through. All of their boyfriends/girlfriends had dumped them, been accused of being A, had actually been on the A Team or unfortunately had died. This wasn't that new, but this time it wasn't an "I'm on the A Team to protect you" thing like it was for Spencer.

Ezra called daily and I ignored it every time. I wasn't going to listen to him after he came to my house the other day. He was stupid and I wasn't going to let him in again. I kept thinking about that day in his classroom.

"_My love for you was real Aria."_ What a liar. He was a huge liar. I mean, he got lots of practice; he lied to me for about three years. How would I ever trust him again? I wouldn't.

**Ezra's POV**

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_Aria I need you back in my life._

_I miss you so much._

_I still just want to explain myself._

I kept writing all over my paper until it was as if a pencil threw up on it. I could never find the right words; which was very sad considering the fact that I am an author and English teacher. It's not like Aria would even read the note, or care for that matter.

I always thought about going back to her house, but then figured that the idea was probably one of my worst. She never listened to me after class; I don't even know why I tried every time. I wasn't lying when I said that I really loved her. I truly did. I have never loved someone as much as I had loved her. The only other people I had dated were Maggie, Jackie and Alison. Sure, I had a kid with Maggie, which really isn't mine so that doesn't even matter. Yeah, I was engaged to Jackie, but I didn't love her; I was just young and stupid. And Alison, well that, that wasn't even anything. She was just a young, evil girl who lied about her age and blackmailed me. I hated – still hate her.

I decided to call again even though I knew she wouldn't pick up, but I had to hear her voice. Two rings, four rings – I knew it would go to voicemail on the sixth – five rings, six, and of course, voicemail.

"Hey, uh, Aria, it's me. I just wanted to–" Well, I at least knew she was listening.

I figured that this wouldn't work from the start, so I had an alternate plan. At work, Professor Montgomery had said that he was going on a business trip for a possible promotion and he was going to be out of town for the weekend. From previous knowledge – gained from being A – I knew Mike had lacrosse practice at 6. This is how I knew if Aria was alone. I would just go to her house again. I would do it; I would be dumb and do it. At least this time it wouldn't be Mr. Montgomery opening the door, telling me to leave.

I got in my car and I drove past her street five times before driving to the front of her house. It was 6:15, Mike was gone for sure. Aria was the only one home. I slowly got out of my car and I walked to her door, half in a trance. It didn't feel real. It almost felt like a dream, I pinched myself to double-check; this was definitely real. I rang the doorbell and waited 30 seconds. No answer. I knocked on the door three times. Still no answer. I was about to knock one more time when the door suddenly opened.

"Ezra." Aria breathed. She didn't seem mad or anything. Surely if she was mad she would have shut the door in my face by now. I didn't know what to think. Maybe she was just in shock to see me at her house, just as I was in shock for _coming_ to her house. I looked at my surroundings and then looked at the girl standing in front of me. I focused on her hazel eyes, then her hair that was straightened to her shoulders. I couldn't stop thinking about her. I felt like I stood there for ages, just thinking about so many little details, that I didn't even realize that she was kissing me. _She _was kissing _me. _

"Aria." I gasped. I breathed hard on her face, not knowing what to say. All of a sudden the door in front of me closed; it was as if nothing had happened. I stood on her porch for just a few moments longer before heading back to my car.

_There might still be a chance. There might still be a chance. _Was all I could think of the whole way home.

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**NOTE: So, as always, please tell me if you liked it, how I can improve or something you want to see happen. I hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Aria's POV**

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I stood with my back to my door, breathing heavy. I slowly slid down to the floor wondering if the last two minutes had actually happened or if I imagined it. I lightly brushed my lips; they were still tingling from the kiss, like a resonating note off of a guitar. I crawled on all fours to the window by the door and peeked outside. Ezra was gone.

_What were you thinking?! _I mentally cursed myself for being so stupid.

He really did come to my house, and I really did kiss him. I stayed sitting by window with my face buried in my palms. I could have stayed there for hours. I let him in even after what he did. He's probably responsible for some of the many murders that have occurred in the last three years. I felt sick to my stomach. If he really was A, he probably – not probably – he _did_ hurt a lot of people, he tortured people and tried to kill many people. I was in love with a monster.

I kept going through this in my head and couldn't believe it. I had never truly thought about it before. I had just then realized who he was, what he did and what he was – or is – capable of. I hadn't noticed at first, but my hands were soaking wet and I realized that I had been crying. It was then when I made the decision not to see him again. We may have kissed, but that was already in the past and if he thought that it meant something, then he was completely wrong.

I really must have been sitting down for a long time because all of a sudden, I heard a door slam. Mike was getting dropped off from practice. I got up and ran to the kitchen; the clock read 7:15. I quickly grabbed a washcloth and wiped my face off as best I could to get rid of any tear streaks I may have had running down my face. My eyes were a little red and puffy, but it was almost unnoticeable.

Mike walked in the front door and threw his lacrosse bag on the floor while he jumped over the top of the couch, got comfy, and watched TV. I went up to my room, sat on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I watched as the fan spun in circles until I got dizzy. I sat up to make the room stop spinning and when I looked left, I saw the calendar that hung on my wall.

_January 5__th_

_Jake - 8:00._

I suddenly sprang out of my bed. I had totally forgotten that Jake was coming over tonight. The clock on my nightstand said 7:28. I had approximately 30 minutes to get ready. I could do it. I rushed to my closet and found a cute dress and put it on in a matter of seconds. I then ran across the hall to the bathroom and reapplied my mascara and brushed out my hair. We were just going to watch a movie, in color, but I still wanted to look nice.

Jake was a really nice guy, but I didn't _love_ him. I think he knew that I still had feelings for Ezra, but he never said anything. I could have told him that it was definitely over between me and Ezra, especially after what happened. Maybe then we could have started out fresh, a whole new beginning, but when it really came down to it, I don't even think Jake thought our relationship would last. We really didn't have a lot in common anyway. I still remember the night that he came to my house after I kissed him.

"_Maybe you're not comfortable with the whole student-teacher thing. It could be complicated."_

It was like he knew about Ezra before he actually met him. For two seconds I had a crazy thought that maybe he was part of the A Team, but I knew it was ridiculous and it was just a coincidence that he'd happened to say that.

I walked downstairs to find Mike still on the couch watching TV. Some football game was on or something. Suddenly, someone was knocking on the door.

"Who's that?" Mike questioned.

"It's probably Jake."

"I'll head upstairs then." Mike turned the TV off, grabbed his lacrosse stuff and ran upstairs. I walked over to the door and smoothed out my dress. Maybe I could convince Jake to go to The Brew or something. I opened the door with a smile which faded almost instantly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you."

"Well Jake is coming over any second now, so I suggest that you should leave Ezra." What was he doing back at my house? "You were _just_ over here about two hours ago. I don't think that there is anything important that you need to tell me that made you come all the way back to my house. What do you want?"

"I just thought the kiss—"

"Ezra that meant nothing, now would you please leave before Jake gets here?"

"Aria—"

"Ezra, I know who you are and what you've done and if you think that there is still a chance for us then you are very mistaken." We stood there for a few more moments when I heard a car door slam. Then there were footsteps coming up my driveway, and then to my porch.

"Aria? What is he doing here?" Jake immediately demanded.

"I was wondering the same thing." Jake turned to face Ezra.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You need to let her go. She's moved on and so should you." Jake walked inside and stood next to me. Ezra stood still with his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to say something and kept changing his mind. Finally he looked right in my eye and turned to walk away, head down and his hands in his pockets.

**Ezra's POV**

* * *

I slammed my car door as hard as I could, not bothering to hide my frustration. I didn't understand. Earlier today, she kissed me and now she was pushing me out of her life again.

"_Ezra, I know who you are and what you've done." _

That's when I realized that she still didn't trust me. Sure, I am A, but I still cared for her. Maybe I should have told her about what Cece did or maybe even tell her what happened to Maya. I could have told her about Alison. I should have said something immediately, then she would have known the truth and maybe, just maybe, she would trust me again. It was too late for any of that though. She wouldn't even let me talk to her.

I hadn't even realized that I even _started_ my car, but when I looked up, I was staring at my apartment complex. I parked my car and turn it off. I sat still doing nothing, but thinking of Aria. I loved her. I remember when I put myself in that bar, trying to get to know her, seeing if it would somehow help me get to Alison. My whole plan was to just use Aria to get to Alison, but from that moment in the bar, I realized that I actually loved her. I didn't plan on it turning out that way, but it did, and I never wanted to hurt her.

I wish that I could live in that moment forever, talking to an amazingly beautiful girl, listening to B-26 and talking about writing. That was definitely the best moment in my life and I don't know how we turned into this. We fought so hard for something that is just gone.

"No, it can't be over. It can't" I murmured to myself.

I got up out of my car and walked inside. I figured out a different way to talk to Aria about everything. When I reached my apartment, I sat down on my couch, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and I started to write.

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**NOTE: So, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to review, tell me if you liked it or how you think the story could be better. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**NOTE: I am really sorry that I haven't updated in a while… I have final exams all week so I've been pretty busy. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**Aria's POV**

_Aria-_

_Make sure no one but you reads this. It's important that the things I'm going to tell you stay a secret for now. It's not safe yet._

_I didn't know what else to do. I thought that this might be the only way I could talk to you. I miss you. I have been wanting to explain myself ever since you found out about . . . you know, but you haven't given me the chance. So, here goes nothing._

_First, Alison is still alive. I've been looking for her ever since her 'disappearance.' She is hiding outside of Rosewood, but I don't know her exact location. I don't want you to go looking for her, she can't be trusted._

_Second, I was on the Halloween Train. I killed Garret, but I did _not _put you in that box. That was all Wilden and Melissa. I had to do it because he threatened to hurt you and the girls and I didn't want anything to happen to you. You don't know all of the horrible things Garret did. _

_Third, I didn't kill Maya. She actually is alive as well. The body they found wasn't hers. I don't know exactly where she is or if she is ever coming back, but she is most definitely alive. I think it's best to keep this a secret from Emily for now._

_Lastly, Melissa killed WIlden and made Cece take the blame for it. I had absolutely nothing to do with that. I don't even know why they did it, but they did. _

_I understand if you still want to stay away from me, but I just wanted you to know the truth. This _is _the truth whether you believe it or not. You have to trust me. _

"_I trust the sun, come morning, will rise as I trust December to carry white, still the first snowfall I shall act surprised and gaze in wonder through the night." Shaina Dudek. Will you trust _me_?_

_Hide this note or destroy it, this letter _cannot _be seen by anyone else._

_-Ezra_

I looked at the note in my hands and I just wanted to scream. I turned over the white envelope that just read _ARIA_ in my hands as I read the letter over and over again. I felt like throwing up.

Ezra had said that both Ali and Maya were alive, but he also admitted to killing someone. He _was_ capable of horrible things and I had been totally oblivious to it all. Getting this letter was too much for me to handle. There were so many things that didn't seem true. How could Ali be alive? How could Maya? Why would Melissa kill Wilden? And why would she make Cece take the blame?

I didn't even realize that I was clenching my fists until my hands began to ache and I noticed that the letter was getting crinkled. I had no clue what to do with the piece of paper. I ripped it into tiny little pieces then I threw it in my small little trashcan in my room and mixed the garbage around a little bit. I didn't know if I should have believed what the letter said or not. It seemed like it could have been truthful, but then again, Ezra was A. He was a master at lying.

Then again, that poem in the letter made me realize that I had to give him a chance. I needed to trust him to get the full story. I finally worked up the nerve to text Ezra.

_Will you meet me? At The Brew? 6 p.m ._The response was almost immediate as if he expected me to text him.

_Of course. See you in 30._

I got ready as fast as I could and walked downstairs to find my dad standing in the kitchen. He was cooking food and didn't even notice me when I walked by. I grabbed the doorknob and right as I opened the door, my dad finally decided to pay attention to me.

"Where are you going?" He questioned.

"Out."

"Where exactly?" He looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm going to The Grille with Spencer. Going to study for a math test." My dad looked satisfied; my lying had improved greatly.

"I guess it's just a dinner for one tonight then." My dad muttered.

"What's Mike doing?"

"Out with some lacrosse friends, as usual." He seemed kind of upset, but I had to meet Ezra.

"I'll be back soon." With that, I walked out the door, headed to The Brew.

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**Ezra's POV**

I had stared at my phone for minutes before doing anything. Aria actually wanted to meet me. She wanted to see me. I hadn't been happier in weeks – months even. I thought Aria would avoid me for good after that note I gave her. I couldn't hold in my excitement.

I rushed to get ready and arrived at The Brew early. I ordered a tall black coffee and took small sips until Aria walked through the door. She ordered a coffee as well and searched around until her eyes met mine. I could see them from where I was standing, a beautiful hazel color that I could stare at forever.

She walked closer and closer to me although it felt like with every step she took, she was getting farther away. I was still in shock just to see her standing in front of me. It was almost like it wasn't real. Like when you reach your hand out in a 3-D movie to find out that you really can't touch what's in front of you. It felt as if I were to reach my hand out to her, it would just go through her.

Finally she stood right in front of me. She wasn't just something from a 3-D movie. She really _was_ here. I tried to speak, but my words just kept getting caught in my throat.

"A-Aria. I – you're – you came." I finally stuttered.

"Of course I came. I was the one who texted _you, _remember?"

"I know, it's just that . . . I didn't really think you'd be here." I took a deep breath to slow my heart rate. Surely she could hear it from where she was standing. "Do you uh, wanna sit down?" Aria sat in the chair in front of me and smoothed out the top of her skirt.

She stared out of the window for a few minutes before turning to face me. It looked like she wanted to say something, but kept changing her mind. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I uh . . . I really liked the poem you put into your letter. I haven't heard it before." What she said wasn't what I had expected her to say. To be honest, I had no clue what she was going to say, or even why she wanted to meet me here.

"Um, thanks. I've always liked it. Just thought, I don't know . . . maybe you would too." I took another deep breath. I tried clearing my head, trying not to think of anything. I know Aria didn't want to come here to talk about poems; (though it might have been something we would have done a long time ago) I could see that there was something else bothering her.

"Aria, why _did_ you want me to meet you here?" Her expression suddenly hardened, her lips forming a tight line.

"You have of a lot of explaining to do."

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**NOTE: So I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Once again, I'm sorry about the late update. As always, review; tell me how to improve or something you want to happen. Thanks for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6

**NOTE: So, I don't really know where I'm going to go with this story after this chapter. I haven't really been thinking about it. Usually I plan ahead everything that I want to write, but for some reason I just haven't with this story. I do have some things I'm kind of thinking of, but it's not for sure yet. This chapter is just Ezra explaining everything he knows to Aria. With that, I hope you like this chapter and continue to read this story.**

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**Aria's POV**

"_Aria, why _did_ you want me to meet you here?" Her expression suddenly hardened, her lips forming a tight line. _

"_You have of a lot of explaining to do."_

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"Where do you want me to start?" Ezra asked patiently.

"From the beginning, but first I think we should move to the table over there in the corner. There are less people." When we had moved I just said the first thing that came to my mind. "What's your connection with Alison?" I asked him. He seemed to be deep in thought with this question. I wanted to know why Ezra was looking for Alison and why she was hiding from him.

"Well, um, where do I start? We dated for a while. She lied about her age, I thought she was older. If I had known her real age, I wouldn't even have gone near her." Ezra paused, taking a deep breath. "I thought I was in love, Aria."

I could see the sincerity in his expression and I actually felt bad. I wanted – I needed to know what Alison did to Ezra. She obviously did something that upset him so much to a point where he blackmailed me and my friends for years trying to find her. I couldn't tell if Ezra was going to continue or not. There was no way he was leaving here without telling me the truth, so I tried prompting him a bit.

"What happened between you and Alison?" He looked into to my eyes for the tiniest fraction of a second before turning his head to the side. He stared out of the window for a few moments before speaking again.

"Like I said, I thought I was in love. I was stupid and it happened lots of times."

"What happened lots of times?" It was clear that he was uncomfortable talking about this.

"I thought I got her pregnant, Aria." He paused again. "She made me believe that she was pregnant at least." I felt bad for Ezra, but this wasn't new information.

"Ezra, we already knew this, and to be honest, I don't think that it was a reason to torture me and my friends." I was getting frustrated. I still wanted to know why he had done all of those horrible things.

"After Alison told me that she was pregnant, she ran away. I didn't see her for weeks. When she finally came back, she told me that she had taken care of it. I figured that meant she talked to my mother. My mom paid Maggie off, I figured that she would do it for Alison and I think Ali thought the same thing. She said she had gone with a friend. That friend just so happened to be Cece. I talked to Cece and she told me that Ali was never pregnant, she just thought she was." I could see the anger in Ezra's eyes. "Apparently Alison needed money, so she faked a pregnancy to get some from my mother."

"Ezra—"

"I'm not finished," Ezra snapped. He took yet another deep breath and began where he left off. "After that, Alison began threatening me. When I found out her actual age, she said that she would tell people that I pushed her into doing things, that I threatened _her. _After she told me that, she stole more money from me and ran off. I didn't know what to do. She had threatened me and stolen from me, I figured she was going to tell someone about us so I followed her."

I could see how nervous Ezra was getting. He was fidgeting in his seat, and he kept grabbing and twirling his hands underneath the table.

"Ezra," I began. "You don't have to say everything now if you're not comfortable. I just wanted to know a few things. We can talk another time if you need to."

"No. I want to – I need to do it now. Anyways, I followed Alison to her house. I saw her go around to her backyard, but I waited in my car for a while before going after her so she wouldn't know that I followed her there. After about ten minutes, I got out of my car and went into her backyard. I'm pretty sure I saw a man disappearing into the shadows. I didn't know who it was at first, but the more I think about it now, the more I think that it was your dad." He looked at me, waiting for my reaction.

"I – we – know that my dad saw Ali the night she 'disappeared.' She wanted money from him too; she blackmailed a lot of people." I told him.

"As if I didn't already know; Alison is the queen of blackmail." Ezra said with a light chuckle. "To get back to what I was saying . . . I was going to go up to Alison when I saw Melissa Hastings walk out of her back door. She confronted Ali and they got into a pretty heated argument. I stood back trying to listen to what they were saying. I didn't catch anything, but I saw Melissa shove Ali to the ground. She picked up a field hockey stick that was on the ground next a big tree in the yard, and Melissa hit Alison in the head. After that, Melissa ran. I think that she thought she killed Alison. I went over to the tree to see if Alison was okay. She was unconscious; I thought she was dead also. I didn't try and check for a pulse. I got scared and I pushed her into the hole that was being used as the foundation for the gazebo." Ezra buried his face in his palms and muttered, "Then I piled some dirt on top of her." I could barely hear his muffled voice. "Don't ask me why I did it; I really thought she was dead. I was panicking and it was the first thing that came to my head."

"You didn't think to call the police?" I asked.

"Well, if the police showed up and I just happened to be at her house in the middle of the night, and I was the only one around, that practically would have just been turning myself in! The cops wouldn't have believed what really happened."

I decided to move on to another topic. It was less important, but it interested me ever since I started getting the text messages.

"Why did you call yourself A?"

"Well that's easy. It represents Alison. I mean, she was the start of it all. Alison was right in the middle of everything. It was as if everything revolved around her." Ezra smiled. "She was always playing games. I wanted in on the fun."

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**NOTE: So, I really hoped that you enjoyed this chapter. Just a warning, the next chapter will most likely take a little longer to be posted. As always, review, tell me how to improve or something that you want to see happen. **


	7. Chapter 7

**NOTE: This chapter starts off right where the last chapter ended. I don't think it's that great of a chapter, but it actually didn't take as long as I thought it would to post it. Hope you like it.**

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**Aria's POV**

I sat quietly at the small table with Ezra, glancing in his direction every few seconds. I figured that I had asked him enough questions, but there was still one more that was trying to escape my lips. I wasn't sure I wanted the answer.

"Ezra, why did you even become A?" He looked up and stared at me for a second without saying anything. I looked back at him; his blue eyes almost putting me in a trance.

_Do not go back there. It's over._ I thought to myself.

"Well, like I said, I wanted in on the fun. I went to Alison's house the next day to see if maybe she wasn't dead, though I didn't know how someone could survive being overnight in the ground. I guess I didn't want to believe that she was dead. When I went to the spot where the gazebo was being built, there was a huge hole and Alison wasn't there."

"Mrs. DiLaurentis told Hanna that Ali could hold her breath for a long time. That's probably how she stayed in there so long." I told him.

"She has lots of talents. Anyway, I needed to find her. I searched for a whole year before even finding out anything. I did know that she was in hiding, but I wouldn't think that would be hard to figure out considering that everyone just thought she was dead. If people think you're dead, you can't really be out in public."

"Where's this going?" I asked impatiently.

"Well, Alison talked about you and your friends a lot. She told me all about you guys. She showed me pictures and everything. On the anniversary of her 'death,' I saw you going to the bar where we met and I recognized you from Alison's pictures. I thought maybe if I got close to you, it would lead me to Alison." He took a deep breath. "I was just planning on using you, but after that day I really did fall in love with you. After that, I figured out a way to get information from you and the girls; sending anonymous texts and requesting things that you and her friends had no choice but to go through with. I tried hurting you the least, but I didn't want to make it look suspicious."

I let this conversation sink in for a minute. He really did care for me, but he also tortured my friends. I didn't even know if I should have believed him or not. This man was A. Maybe he didn't care for me at all; he could just be pulling an A stunt. Then again, there was something pulling and tugging at me that made me believe what he was saying. What I didn't understand was why he actually agreed to telling me all of this.

"Ezra, why did you tell me everything when you don't even have Alison? The girls know you're A, you can't keep torturing us or sending us text messages."

"I think I'm close enough. I don't think I need to depend on you guys to do my dirty work." I decided that this would be the end to our conversation, so I started packing up my belongings.

"Well, I uh, I need to get home. I told my dad that I'd be home before he went to bed."

I turned to walk away when Ezra grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him. He looked into my eyes and kissed me for only a few seconds before I pushed him away.

"Ezra, I know that we've been talking and stuff, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to suddenly fall in love with you again. I just wanted to know your side of the story. It doesn't change what you did to me and my friends. I don't know why I have to keep telling you that it's over." I walked out of The Brew and jumped in my car and drove home.

When I walked into the house my dad was sitting on the couch waiting for me. He gave me an irritated look, and I knew that I was in trouble.

"So, I called Mrs. Hastings to check up on you and ask when you were going to be home, but do you know what she told me?" He paused like he was waiting for an answer though I knew that it was a rhetorical question. "She told me that my daughter wasn't with Spencer because Spencer had debate team meeting. So, _my_ question is; where were you tonight?"

I swallowed and tried to think of a lie to tell my dad, but nothing came to me. He waited impatiently while I stood still in our foyer.

"Earth to Aria. Where were you and why did you lie to me?"

"I was with Ezra." I decided to tell him the truth, or some of the truth. "He isn't getting over the fact that I'm with somebody else and he asked me to meet him. Trust me; all I did was told him that it's over." That was kind of what happened, I was just hoping my dad would believe me.

"Okay, so why did you lie to me?"

"Because if I told you I was meeting him, you wouldn't have let me go."

"Well I probably wouldn't have, but you still need to be honest." My dad seemed satisfied and he let me go upstairs to my room. I went quietly to my bed and I sat there for a few moments before lying down. I kept thinking about what Ezra had told me and my mind buzzed. I wasn't going to get much sleep that night.

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**Ezra's POV**

Instead of going home, I went to a cabin that belongs to my mother. The whole drive there, I thought about how stupid I was. I didn't know why I kissed her again. I guess there really wasn't a chance for us after all. I thought that Aria wanted me to meet her to talk about _us_. Apparently, I was wrong.

I opened the door to the cabin and went to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and noticed that there were two drink options: scotch and water. It took me a minute, but I decided on the water. As I stood in the kitchen, I thought about how I lied to Aria. It was just so easy now. I hated doing it, but she couldn't know what I'd done.

I paced around the living room for a minute before approaching the hall closet. I grabbed the doorknob, opened the door slowly and looked inside.

_Good. _I thought to myself. _She's still there._

In the closet there lay an unconscious Alison DiLaurentis.

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**NOTE: So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Like I said before, I don't think that it was the best. As always, review and tell me how to improve or something you want to happen. **


	8. Chapter 8

**NOTE: So, I wasn't originally planning to add Ali in this story, but then I did. So, now I have Alison to work with though she won't really be in this chapter. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.**

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**Aria's POV**

I woke up in the morning, not realizing that I had even fallen asleep. Last time I had looked at the clock it was 4 a.m. I looked over to my right and saw that it was 7 o'clock. So, I had gotten three or less hours of sleep. You could say that I was just a little tired.

I stayed up all night thinking about Ezra. I thought about our talk at The Brew, I thought about all the time we spent together and I thought about our relationship. I remembered when we fought so hard for it. We had many struggles, but in the end everything was alright. There were so many obstacles, but we got past them. I thought maybe this was just another obstacle; maybe I could get past it, but I realized if it was, I couldn't get through it alone.

That's when the realization hit me: I still loved him. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that it was over, I knew deep down that it wasn't. I couldn't keep pretending that I felt nothing.

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I couldn't believe I had actually gone to his apartment. It didn't seem like I was really there until I stood staring at the door of apartment 3B for what seemed like hours.

I knocked on his door three times without any answer. I nervously looked left and right to see if anyone had seen me here. I needed to see Ezra, but I couldn't just be standing outside my English teacher's door; now knowing that people found out about us. I knocked twice more before grabbing the spare key under the mat. It was a good thing that he replaced the key after A stole it; or when he stole it. I don't even know what happened. Maybe he stole his own key and just and put the same one back. I finally decided to stop worrying about his key and unlocked the door.

"Ezra?" I said after shutting the door. "Ezra, are you home?" It was a dumb question since I heard no running water for a shower and there was pretty much nowhere else he could have been in his tiny apartment. I decided to call him and find out where he was. Ezra answered on the second ring.

"Hey Aria." He said when he picked up the phone.

"I was um, just wondering where you were. I know you're not at your apartment and I wanted to talk to you, but I'd rather not do it over the phone." I said to him.

"Wait, you're at my apartment?" He questioned.

"Um, yeah." I said quietly. "So, where are you?"

"I'm at uh, this cabin my mom owns. It's right outside Rosewood. I could give you the address if you want." Ezra paused for a moment. "What did you want to talk about this time Aria?"

"I. . . I want to talk about us."

After Ezra gave me the address, I hung up and got in my car. I sat there for a moment and thought about how much I tried pushing Ezra away and now I was going back to him. I thought about how many times I told myself to not let him in, but the truth was, I really did need him in my life. I kept lying to myself which was probably one of the dumbest things I had ever done.

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**Ezra's POV**

After I hung up with Aria, I couldn't believe what I had just heard. She wanted to talk about _us_. Who knew what she had to say, but it was about me and her. I had wanted this for weeks now. I instantly felt horrible about lying to her last night. I then thought about one small problem I had.

_Her._

I had to get her to the basement somehow. Aria couldn't find her. She would never trust me again. I walked to the closet and opened the door. There Ali lay quietly, but I could see that she was showing signs of movement. I had to get her downstairs before she woke up. Lucky for me, Ali didn't weigh much. I picked her up and carried her down the steps to my basement. It was a lot better than the closet; Ali should have thanked me when she woke up. Someone could live in that basement; it had a huge couch, a lounging chair and a flat screen TV. I put her down on the couch, locked the door and rushed back upstairs.

I tried cleaning the cabin as much as I could before Aria got there. It wasn't much work and I was just finishing up when I heard a knock on the front door. I opened it to see her beautiful face. She looked tired and distraught, but nothing could get in the way of her beauty. She was perfect.

"Hi Ezra." She said quietly.

"Are you alright Aria?" I asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"I didn't either." I said with a small smile. She walked in and I showed her around. I didn't know why I didn't just stay here. It was ten times nicer than my apartment, but I guess I liked being around people. I showed Aria to the living room where we sat down on a tan leather couch. Aria sat looking down at the floor for a minute before looking up at me.

"I. . ." Aria paused. She looked like she was getting upset. I didn't know what this was about. "I still want to be with you."

I wasn't expecting to hear this come from Aria. I was actually pretty angry. She had stressed how much our relationship was over, she had pushed me away multiple times, and now she was telling me that she still wanted to be with me. Why was she telling me this now? I then thought to myself that it didn't matter. She still wanted me and that's what I've been wanting. I should have been happy.

I decided to forget all of the times Aria pushed me away and I slowly leaned into her. I looked into her eyes before closing mine and I kissed her passionately. Unlike my recent experiences, she didn't pull away. She kissed me back. I wrapped my hands in her hair as she put her hands on my face. We could have been there for hours. We would stop and talk for a few minutes here and there and then we would begin kissing each other again. I led Aria to the master bedroom and she stayed the night with me. She lay on my bed, my arm wrapped around her and her head cradled under my neck.

I had really missed her. It was like she had never left me. I wish we could have just stayed right there; I wished time would freeze and she would never leave my side again.

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**NOTE: So, I hope you liked this chapter. Do you like that Aria got back with Ezra? Do you think it was a mistake? Should she trust him? I don't know. . . As always, review; tell me how to improve or what you what to see happen. **


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